Dark Water Rising

This tour leans into Cape May's grimmer history, including drownings off the point, the people lost when the town burned in 1878, and hauntings rooted in real tragedy. The themes are heavy and the storytelling is candid, so we keep it to guests 16 and older. Families should choose our all-ages tour, The Last Ship Home, instead.

The Last Ship Home celebrates the seaside town and its friendlier spirits. Dark Water Rising goes deeper into the dark. We follow the bodies the bay gave back, the night fire tore through the resort, and the more troubling spirits of the old mansions, with the difficult details left intact instead of smoothed over.

Around 90 minutes on foot. We walk roughly a mile of flat streets through Cape May's historic district and linger at each stop long enough to do its story justice.

The tour begins at 9:00 PM nightly and usually ends around 10:30 PM. Arrive a few minutes early to meet your guide before we set out into the dark.

We walk in nearly all conditions, and a stormy night off the Atlantic suits this tour perfectly. If the weather turns dangerous, we'll reach out about rescheduling your booking.

Yes. Leashed, calm dogs are welcome to walk along, as long as yours is comfortable in a group for about 90 minutes by the shore.

It is. Every Ghost City Tour is on foot, and Cape May's quiet, gaslit streets are best experienced that way, close to the old houses and the sound of the surf, rather than from a passing trolley.